Electric-railway system.



\ E.J .PATELSKI. .ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED "AR. 8, I'9I5- RENEWED MIG. 23. I9I5.

1 ,274,076. Patented July 30 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Witnesses.

E I. PATELSKI.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

A'rrucmou FILED MAR. 8.1915. RENEWED MM. 23, me.

1 274,076. Patented Jul y 30, 1918, F194. C"

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E; J. PATIELSKI.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY S YSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8. i915. RENEWED AUG. 23. ms.

1,274,076. Patented Jul 30, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

e1 J. el 01 Wilhas'ses. [izre nlon gel/MW gtfigw 5M Pnw EBICH J. PATELSKI, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July so, 1918.

Application filed larch 8, 1915, Serial No. 12,783. Renewed August '23, 1916. Serial No. 116,560.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERICH J. PATELSKI, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, (res. 3971 Langley Ave, bus. add. 167

W. Washington St.,) have invented a certain new and useful'lmpr'ovement in Electric-Railway Systems, of which the follow: in is a specification. W

y invention relates to electric railway systems of that kind in which the current is not conveyed to the moving cars through the medium of a continuous conductor, such as a third rail or trolley wire, but simply through the medium of current feeding contacts disposed along the track, and in which the cars are provided with shoes or long'conductors arranged to slide on said contacts, the distance between the latter being such that the cars are always in touch with at least one of said contacts. In this way, as will be readily understood, the dangers which usually attend the use of third railsand trolley wires are entirely avoided, and other objections as well.

My present invention is, therefore, in the nature of an improvement on the electric railway system shown and described and claimed broadly in my co-pending application No. 12782, filed of even date herewith. The object of my invention, as herein disclosed, is to rovide a novel and satisfactory construction and arrangement in which the contacts which are arranged at intervals along the track are disposed in fixed.

position, are not movable, and are connected at all times w1th the main current conductor which leads to the power station.

Another object is to provide a more practical arrangement than heretofore, involving a construction and arrangement of such character that the current feeding contacts are arranged outside of the fails, the shoes or conductors which engage these contacts being arranged at the side of the cars, and each shoe or conductor being yieldingly presented to the contacts, whereby the vibration or lurching of the-cars does not interfere with the supply of current to the motors thereof, notwithstanding the fixed character of the current feeding oontacts along the;

track.

It is also an object to provide certain de-' tails and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efiiciency and desirability of an electric railway system of this particular character.

To the f oregoing'and'other usefulends, my invention consists'in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings 7 Figure 1 is a side elevationof "a section of track and of the trucks'of an electric locomotive of a railway system embodying the principles of my inventiona V f s Fig. 2 is 'a'plan of one-half of the structure shown in Fig. 1, showing the car trucks traveling on a straight length of track.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the trucks traveling on a curved section of track.

Fig. 1' is an enlarged section on line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig, 5 is an enlarged side elevation of one of thebracketS and contacts which are disposed along the track, showing the upper portion thereof in section. Fig. 6 is a detail section on line 66 in Fig. 5. V

Fig. 7 is a diagram of the circuit arrangement employed in Fig. 4. v Fig. 8 is-a view similar to Fig. 4, showing current feeding contacts at both sides of the track, and showing the car provided with shoes or conductors for engaging said con-' tacts at both sides thereof. i

Fig. 9 is a plan of the bracket shown'in. Figs.'5 and 6. I

Fig; 10 isa diagram of the circuit arrangement employed in Fig. 8. v

As thus illustrated, he trucks A travel on the'rails B in the usual and well knownmam ner, and are provided with motors C, of any suitable character, for the propulsion thereof. As shown in Fig. 4, brackets D are arranged at intervalsalong the track, at one side thereof and aree'ach providedlwith aninsulated contact d, theseflcontacts' being'suitably connected with the current main by insulating wires al leading upwardly thereto; A housing E is secured to the side of the trucks, said housing being reticulated and having joints at ewhich enable it' to bend when the trucks are passing around a curve. (See Fig. 3.) This housing is open at' its outer side to receive the brackets D and is provided internally with ajshoe or flat con- 7 doctor 6 the latter being insulated on' its ed to move up and down and are yieldingly presented to the under sides of the contacts (Z while the cars are traveling along the track. During this time the springs resist any inclination of the train to rise. It will be understood that the shoes or conductors e are suitably connected with the motors C, and that the latter are electrically connected with the car wheels, whereby the rails are used as a part of the circuit. (See Fig. 7.) The distance between the contacts d is such that the shoes or conductors e of the electric locomotive are always in engagement with at least one of said contacts, whereby the circuit is not broken by the forward movement of the cars. The springs c serve to keep the shoes or conductors e firmly in engagement with the contacts (Z, notwithstanding the vibration and lurching of the cars, and thus a good circuit connection is provided at all times. As shown, the strip 6 is of a thickness to flex or bend as it passes under the contact on the member D, as will be readily understood. It will also be observed that this strip must be constructed in any suitable manner to partake of the flexing action of the housing at the joints thereof.

In Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive, the construction is substantially the same as that previously described, except that in this case the brackets D and their contacts .(Z are employed at both sides of the track. In this way the wheels of the cars and also the rails of the track are not included in the current circuits.

- In Fig. 4: the shoes or conductors e are emside of the electric locomotive or car, and

the latter can travel in opposite directions without turning around, assuming that suitable switches and circuit controlling devices are employed on the locomotive or car for reversing the direction of travel thereof. In Fig. 8 the circuit arrangement is of the character shown in Fig. 10, the current being supplied over cables or mains arranged at opposite sides of the track.

Thus fixed contacts are employed along the track, thereby obviating the necessity of using switches for connecting the contacts with the current mains, and simplifying the construction materially.

Dust and sand cannot collect on the contacts of the posts D, as they are inverted, even though they are out of action for some time; and the wide overhang of the housing E protects the strip 6 against the weather. The vibration of the train will tend to prevent sand or dust from settling on the strip c and this flexible strip is kept clean by the practically constant rubbing action.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. An electric railway system comprising a housing carried by the rolling stock and constructed of reticulated sections to permit lateral flexing thereof when the trucks travel around curves in the track, said housing being open along one side thereof, members disposed along the track to enter the front end of said housing and leave at the rear end thereof, a contact strip extending longitudinally within said housing, insulated contacts fixed on said members, the arrangement being such that the upper surface of said contact strip engages the under sides of said contacts by upward pressure, springs disposed in a plan-e below said strip to yield under said pressure, said members being such a distance apart that said strip is always in engagement with at least one of said contacts, and means to connect said contacts with a source of current, said members being held in fixed position, and said springs being covered by said housing.

2. An electric railway system comprising a housing carried by the rolling stock and constructed of reticulated sections to permit lateral flexing thereof when the trucks travel around curves in the track, said housing being open along one side thereof, members disposed along the track to enter the front end of said housing and leave at the rear end thereof, a contact strip extending longitudinallv within said housing, insulated contacts fixed on said members, the arrangement being such that the upper surface of said contact strip engages the under sides of said contacts by upward pressure, springs disposed in a plane below said strip to yield under said pressure, said members being such a distance apart that said strip is always in engagement with at least one of said contacts, and means to connect said contacts with a source of current, said members being disposed in fixed position at intervals along the side of the track, outside the rails, and said housing being covered on the side of the trucks.

3. An electric railway system comprising a housing carried by the rolling stock and constructed of reticulated sections to permit lateral flexing thereof when the trucks travel around curves in the track, :said housing being open along one side thereof, members dis osed along'the track to enter the front end of said housing and leave at the rear end thereof, a contact strip extending longitudinally within said housing, insulated contacts fixed on said members, the arrangement being such that the upper surface of said 'contact strip engages the under sides ofsaid contacts by upward pressure, springs disposed in a plane below said strip to yield under said pressure, said members being,

such a distance apart that said strip is always in engagement with at least one of said contacts, and means to connect said contacts with a source of current, said members and housing being disposed at one side of the track and trucks, outside of the rails and wheels, and said housing being open at its outer side and jointed at its inner side.

4. An electric railway system comprising a housing carried by the rolling stock and constructed of reticulated sections-to permit lateral flexing thereof when the trucks travel around curves in the track, said housing being open along one side thereof, members disposed along the track to enter the front end of said housing and leave at the rear end thereof, a contact strip extending longi tudinally within said housing, insulated contacts fixed on said members, the arrangement being such that the upper surface of said contact strip engages the under'sides of said contacts by upward pressure, springs disposed in a plane below said strip to yield under said pressure, said members being such a distance apart that said strip is always in engagementwith .at least one of said contacts, and means to connect said contacts with a source of current, said springs being a yielding support for said strip in the housing.

5. An electric railway system comprising a housing carried by the rolling stock and constructed of reticulated sections to permit lateral flexing thereof when the trucks travel around curves in the track, said housing being open along one side thereof, members disposed along the track to enter the front end of said housing and leave at the rear end thereof, a contact strip extending longitudinally within said housing, insulated contacts fixed on said members, the arrangement being such that the upper surface of said contact strip engages the under sides of said contacts by upward pressure, springs disposed in a plane below said strip to yield under said pressure, said members being such a distance apart that said strip is always in engagement with at least one of said contacts, and means to connect said contacts with a source of current, said strip being flexible, and said springs being disposed at intervals below said strip on the bottom of said housing.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day of March, 1915.

ERICH J. PATELSKI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

, Wsshington, D. 0. 

